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A steaming bowl of coconut green curry noodle soup makes its way across the dining room as I watch from my open kitchen perch. The customer swirls the soft egg noodles around her fork, and I can tell immediately that the intense, mingled perfume of fresh-torn basil, cilantro and mint is making its way to her nose. By now, the pungent citrus aftertaste of lemon grass surrounds her palate. I feel fulfilled as a smile and look of great satisfaction appears on her face as she glances in my direction. This is almost always the reaction that I see -- largely because big bowls of Asian-inspired soups are pure culinary brilliance. They contain every wonderful culinary ideal chefs aspire to in one package. They represent comfort food at the finest level. Asian soups are forgiving because if the broth is good, almost any ingredient can be added with confidence. They provoke feelings of health and well-being. There is a tremendous range of flavor because with Asian cuisine, we are speaking about a broad spectrum of ethnic origins, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and even Indian influences. Each country offers unique ingredients and flavor profiles. Even when offered as an appetizer, these soups are in reality a liquid meal -- beautiful to look at, filled with radiant colors and unique shapes. To some, eating Asian soups is a ritual, and popular movies, such as "Tampopo," have elevated Asian bowls to star status. Asian cultures, in fact, combined hot liquids with beneficial medicinal herbs and other ingredients making soup one of the original functional foods. Various soups were prescribed for everything from a weak immune system to a lackluster sex life. Perhaps there is validity to all of this. I reach for a bowl of chicken soup at first sign of an impending cold. What goes aroundWe know that Asian soups are widely embraced and have made the leap from ancient, worldwide cultures to dinner tables and supermarket shelves across the country. To a chef or development specialist, this presents a unique opportunity. There are many components to take under consideration within this menu category. Oddly enough, the vessel or bowl has to be right. The concept of "what goes around, comes around" applies here. The very birth of soups is tied to archeological discoveries indicating that stone vessels were used for soup making. One could not exist without the other. These stone crocks were used for boiling liquids, hard grains and bones together to make a nutritious food. These vessels for soup were vital to its creation and consumption then, and those tenets still hold true today. The ultimate common denominatorThe broth is the foundation of any soup, whether Asian-inspired or not. The challenge here is that Asian-soup broths are often derived from ingredients that are not traditional in our country and recipe repertoire. We are used to chicken broth, beef broth and vegetable broth. Many Asian-soup broths are made from combinations, such as chicken and pork, organ meats and chicken bones, or oxtail bone marrow and dried mushrooms, just to name a few. Some broths contain sake while others offer a dashi broth containing bonito, or dried-tuna flakes. Many Asian broths, especially Japanese, are made with kombu, a type of kelp, while others might be simmered with different varieties of seaweed. Anyone can plop ingredients into a bowl of liquid. However, a well-made, clear broth is indispensable to any great Asian-inspired soup. Traditional Asian broths are simmered for long periods of time over very low heat to preserve the clarity of the broth. A clear broth is the sign of quality and great care. This means production will need to take place at a controlled, low simmer of no more than 185?F. Most Asian broths are also strained before incorporating into finished soups -- unless they are for a congee thickened with rice in the broth. The added benefit to customers is that all of the ingredients will be visible in the broth. An example of this style is traditional Vietnamese pho, now widely accepted as Asian comfort food and served in large bowls with broth derived from beef bones, tendons and sometimes a combination of beef and pork or chicken. There are also seafood versions. Another example, Szechwan hot-and-sour soup, is often made from chicken bones or a combination of chicken and pork. Fresh flavor frontiersAlthough many flavor-profile similarities exist among Asian soups, there are also some distinct differences. Throughout my three decades of cooking professionally, the "five-taste principle" has been my guide. Even though science adds a sixth taste, umami, the tastes that guide my cooking are sweet, sour, salty and bitter, as well as spicy. These categories steer the way Asian soups taste. However, hundreds of combinations and flavors affect taste within this arena. I break these down into two major categories: fresh ingredients and shelf-stable packaged condiments. Fresh seasoning ingredients are a hallmark of Asian soups. Some of the most- common spices I use are ginger root, garlic, lemon grass and hot chiles. In place of ginger, some traditional cooks from South and Southeast Asian countries use its relative, galangal, which has a similar flavor. These ingredients are usually made into a spice mash, which can be puréed with canola or peanut oil. I make these in large quantities and refrigerate the mash, using it as we make the soup bowls to order. Typically, this mash is added at the beginning of the cooking process, allowing the strong flavors to permeate the broth and garnish. Any number of spice mashes, which will later become the predominant flavor profile, can be made in large quantities using vertical cutter mixers. These mashes can be frozen or dehydrated, as well. Large-scale batches of ginger, garlic, lemon grass or spice mash can contain curry paste. These combined ingredients, added to the broth mix at the end of the production process, will pack quite an intense aroma when reconstituted.
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